Gail Pallotta and Treading Water: Barely above Water, Revised Edition

Dear Readers, 

Thank you for being a part of this blog community! I hope you enjoy getting to meet the authors-- and I hope you're having a great summer! 

~Blessings, Christina 

Please introduce yourself—name, where you’re from, and something people notice when they meet you? 

Hi, I’m Gail Pallotta. A current resident of Georgia, I grew up at the foothills of the North Carolina Mountains. I love meeting and talking with people, and I think they sense that about me, because my husband says I’m the only person he knows who can go in the grocery for a loaf of bread and come out with someone’s life story.

Tell us about your book—title and back cover blurb? 

In Treading Water: Barely above Water, revised edition, Suzie Morris suffers a sense of isolation and loneliness when she’s struck with an illness her physician can’t diagnose. Without family, she’s on her own. To make matters worse, her boyfriend dumps her. Relying on her Christian faith, she moves to Destin, Florida, to get treatment from an alternative doctor. After she lands a temporary job coaching a fun, county-sponsored rag-tag swim team, her handsome boss, Matt Combs, renews her belief in love. However, when Matt learns of Suzie’s medical problem, he cuts romantic ties. Recently saddened by the illness and death of his mother, he fears he couldn’t face another loss. Later he regrets his decision and tries to make amends. Hope for healing flickers inside Suzie when she hears of new remedies, but will the latest discoveries work for her? If she recovers, can Matt regain her trust? 

Excerpt: 

   Suzie fidgeted in her chair three months later as she sat in an office in Destin, Florida. A door shut, and she jumped. She took a deep breath and pulled back her shoulders. She would appear confident and calm, God willing. She had to steady her right hand. The interviewer would probably offer to shake it. A man entered and walked to her, his broad shoulders taking over the room. 

   “Matt Combs. Sorry I’m late. I hope you weren’t too bored sitting here.” 

   He offered a handshake. She peered at his squared, strong-looking extremity as she extended her hand as fast as she could. “I’m fine, thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”

   Had he detected the trembling? He didn’t stare at her hand. Guess not. As Mr. Combs situated himself, Suzie surveyed his office, getting a glimpse of who he was. 

   A plaque for Outstanding Manager as head of the Okaloosa County Parks and Recreation Department hung on the wall alongside pictures of kids in bathing suits and soccer players in blue uniforms. A full trophy case sat next to his bookcase. She could get him another victory in spite of the sickness, if he’d give her a chance.

   The rollers on his black chair clicked as he pulled it to his metal desk. He pushed a pile of folders to one side then looked up with a sheepish grin. 

   “I haven’t had a chance to clean. Harold Gubb, my assistant and the county bookkeeper, was out sick last week. I’m a little backed up.” 

   Suzie clenched a pencil in three fingers and released it, then repeated the action in her lap. She started the habit to check her strength after she’d lost twenty-five pounds. Now she did it when she was nervous. “You have a nice office.” 

   Matt’s shoulders relaxed. “I suppose, as county cubicles at community centers go, it’s okay.” He waved his hand toward a desk in front of his. “Barely room for Harold when we’re both here, but I’m in the field quite a bit. We manage.”

   He retrieved a folder from the pile he’d just moved and studied it. “Ahh, I see you coached a swim team and won your division every year except your first. That’s quite an accomplishment.” 

   He gazed at her with admiration in his eyes. Suzie scooted up as hope Matt Combs might hire her flickered in the back of her mind. “You were in high school and college then. Now, you’re...” He glanced at her application, then sat back in his seat. “Twenty-five?” He arched an eyebrow. “Uh, most recently, you’ve worked as an editor of a community magazine in Blue Mountain, North Carolina. It says here you quit your job to move? Could I ask why?” 

   Suzie recoiled at the suspicion in his voice. Carson would say she had to move because she was a druggie. Sad that his ridiculous opinion still upset her. She glanced at the three-quarter-length sleeve of her blouse. Before Carson broke up with her, he’d suggested she wear sufficient clothing to cover her skinny body. Dwelling on him wasn’t worth the hurt and ire that rose from recalling his degrading remark, but more importantly she couldn’t let anything distract her. She had to have this job. She swallowed hard. 

  Play the game. 

Let's get to know the blog readers a bit--Ask the blog reader a quirky question or two? 

Suzie grows to love her job coaching a rag-tag swim team. Have you ever taken a job or volunteered for an activity more because you needed to than wanted to, then ended up enjoying it? These days, we all need our faith to get through life. Can you tell us about a time when you relied on your faith. 

Share your social media and buy links!

Amazon buy link for Treading Water: Barely above Water - https://www.amazon.com/Treading-Water-Barely-Above-ebook/dp/B0HDSLRLKL/ Social Media links: Website – https://gailpallotta.com Blog – https://gailpallotta.blogspot.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore and https://www.facebook.com/gail.pallotta/ Newsletter sign up - https://www.gailpallotta.com/mainphp.html

Leave your email in the comments or leave your info on our contact form to enter Gail's e-book giveaway of Barely Above Water! Or follow the link and buy it now!

An interview with Gail Pallotta

Our guest today is author Gail Pallotta, a former Grace Awards finalist, a 2017 Reader's Favorite Book Awards recipient, and a topShelf 2020 Book Awards Finalist. Gail is also a wife, mother, and an excellent cook!

Gail, what made you start writing?

 I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, but I got interested in writing as a career in college when I took a professional writing course. I always had wanted to write books, but alas, I needed a job, so I worked as an editor and copywriter. After I married, I helped my husband with his business and wrote freelance articles. When he semi-retired, I started writing books.

Where do you get your inspiration? 

If I experience something or am touched by something I see and it rattles around in my head a while, eventually I write something about it, a book, short story or blog.

How do you incorporate your own life experiences into your books? 

While I do quite a bit of research for each book, I also like to set them in places I’ve lived or visited. Also, I draw from things I’ve learned or seen in my life. For instance, my mother was a hairstylist, so I wrote Hair Calamities and Hot Cash based on what I saw and heard when I spent time in her shop as a youngster. At age ten I learned to cook from my grandmother, aunts and mother who were gourmet Southern cooks, so I drew on that for Cooking up a Mystery. Stopped Cold, my teen book, was based on the pressure I saw put on young people to excel to be the best.

Describe your ideal non-writing day.

Oh my, I’m at the beach.

Which do you prefer and why?

-Ice cream or watermelon? I can’t eat ice cream, but I prefer frozen yogurt over watermelon because it’s creamier and goes better with pecan pie.

-Dogs or cat? That’s a difficult question because I’m an animal lover, but I suppose dogs win.

-Marketing or visiting the dentist? LOL. Ouch. I’m a people person, but more in the vein of enjoying visiting and getting to know others as opposed to selling to them, and the dentist…I have such a kind, wonderful dentist, which helps, but… It’s a draw.

Speaking of dentists, tell us something about your book, "Cooking Up a Mystery".

Laney Eskridge worked to put her husband through dental school. Then he left with another woman. She's on edge from the emotional scars and her parents' deaths. Then she hears unexplained noises in her new tea house, and her anxiety is tripled. Add a budding romance with Eric—a guy with a fear of commitment—and it's all too much to handle. She cuts ties with Eric and plunges into making her business pay off.

When Eric discovers that Laney's in danger, he vows to protect her. But can he make a lasting promise? Will she trust him? . . .and when they overhear a threat that could cause national turmoil, will anyone believe them? There's more brewing than herbal tea in Cooking up a Mystery.

Cooking up a Mystery is an Amazon Monthly Deal, and Gail's publisher has extended it to a couple of other sites. The Kindle copies are currently $1.99 at the following:

Amazon        Apple 

You can connect with Gail at any (or all!) of the following sites:

Facebook      Goodreads     BookBub      Pinterest 

Gail Pallotta Chats About Barely Above Water on the Diamond Mine

This week, we have Christian author, Gail Pallotta on the Diamond Mine. 

She’s chatting with our very own Renee Blare about her latest book, Barely Above Water, her writing life, fun, and fiction. She’s also giving away a fabulous prize to one winner so read on! Oh…don’t forget to check out how to enter the giveaway at the end of the post! Drawing’s in one week!

GAIL PALLOTTA

RB: Hello, Gail…welcome to the Diamond Mine. I’m so glad you could be here today. I hear you have a new book, Barely Above Water. Congratulations! What can you tell us about it?

GP: Thank you, Renee, yes I do. Where should I start? The main character has an illness the medical doctors can’t diagnose, so she’s told they can’t help. It appears hopeless, but by divine intervention she’s led to an alternative doctor. The story is fictitious, but it’s based on my struggle with Chronic Lyme Disease. The divine intervention, symptoms and treatments are real. However, the rest is made up. I only wish I were in my twenties.

The real doctors behind the story are David G. Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad., and Raphael d’Angelo, M.D., who’s also a holistic doctor.

Dr. Lee

David Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad., runs Wellness Revolution Clubs in Woodstock, Georgia, and Daytona Beach, Florida. To learn more about him visit http://www.pmadirectory.us/georgia/woodstock/health-practitioner/david-lee

Dr. d'Angelo

Raphael d’Angelo, M.D., and holistic doctor, runs ParaWellness Research Program in Aurora, Colorado. To learn more about him visit https://www.alliance-aromatherapists.org/tag/dr-dangelo/

RB: Lyme Disease? Whoa…I’m sorry to hear you’ve had to suffer with that. It does not sound fun at all, although your book sounds captivating. Speaking of your book, how do you keep your characters “three dimensional?”

GP: The characters become who they are by what they think, say and do. Their reactions often tell as much as their actions. Descriptions, chatter and thoughts about them from other characters help to round them out.

RB: I understand what you’re saying. So, when you’re writing and they are developing, do you have a particular “way” you write or do you just “wing” it?

GP: I start with a rough outline, an overview of the plot and brief character sketches. Then I write a rough draft of the book. While I’m doing this, the plot and characters grow and change, so I keep re-writing. Sometimes I let one of my characters journal a few pages through me. These entries don’t go in the book, but give me an idea of what that character might do in a particular situation.

RB: Cool! The journaling thing sounds pretty neat. I’ve never tried that before. I may just do that someday. By the way, why did you start writing novels? Is that all you write?

GP: I’ve written stories as long as I can remember and have always wanted to write novels. However, I’ve spent most of my life working as an editor or copywriter and an article writer. During the years I published articles, I was humbled and honored when someone nominated me for Who’s Who in Writers, Editors and Poets. I appeared in the book in 1988, and again in the 1992-93 edition. To this day, I don’t know who suggested me. In years past, I’ve written poetry on the side, sometimes getting up at night to jot down a poem, or writing one at work during down time. I recently self-published some of my poems in a book, Messages. Now that my husband’s semi-retired and my daughter’s grown, I have time to write books.  

RB: What an honor…to be acknowledged. Even if you may never know by whom. Many writers never see their dream of publishing much less recognition in such a book. If you could name your biggest challenge as an author, what would it be?

GP: Marketing, hands down. First of all, I’m computer inept, and that makes it challenging to participate in some social media. Blogging seems to have been all the rage, died down and is now making a comeback. Facebook parties appear to be waning right now and online chats don’t seem to work. I’ve tried a little paid advertising, and it seems to help some, but it’s difficult to know the right place to spend my pennies. I would love to have advice from those who market successfully.

EMERALD BEACH

RB: I’m right there with you, sister. I still blog and plug the social media outlets…true, not as handily as I used to (or as often). And my money is limited also so it goes to very few sources of paid advertising…very few. I personally would love to know what a “successful” marketing scheme is too! Anyway, back to your book, tells us about your setting. Is it unique and how did you select it?

GP: I chose Destin on Florida’s Emerald Coast because I love it and can’t think of anywhere more romantic. Emerald water so clear you can see through it surrounds white sand on three sides. The Gulf on one shore and the bay on the other meet near the harbor shoreline. Known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” it’s a small tourist town with pristine beaches and fun activities.

RB: I’ve never been there but it sounds like a place I may want to take a vacation! LOL Who knows, I’ll read your book and may just schedule a trip. Heeheee… Do you have any hobbies or things you like to do when you aren’t working?

GP: I swim three times a week. I treasure my church and occasions I spend with family and friends. I also enjoy making flower arrangements when I have extra time.

RB: Is there a special quote or verse which comes to your mind in times of need or adversity?

GP: Romans 8: 28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  

Thanks for sharing with the Diamond Mine today, Gail. It’s been a lot of fun! It’s also been an honor getting to know a bit more about your new book, Barely Above Water. I know anyone who reads it, including me, is going to love it! I can’t wait to crack it open. J

____________________

STOP!!! DON’T GO!

WE HAVE AN

AWESOME GIVEWAY!

Gail’s giving away an e-book of Barely Above Water

AND

8 oz. of Dark Truffle Rooibos tea from Camellia Estate Tea (tea U.S. residents).

Answer this question in the comments below to enter (leave your email please!):

As a reader, where do you go online most often to learn about books?

(One winner will be selected by random draw on 5/4/16 from comments with emails. Minimum of 5 comments required to validate contest.)

____________________

About the Book:

An illness comes out of nowhere and strikes Suzie Morris. Her boyfriend dumps her. She has no living family, and her physician can’t diagnose the malady. Suzie relies on her Christian faith as she faces the uncertainty of the disease, and turns to a renowned alternative doctor in Destin, Florida. She takes a job coaching a county-sponsored summer swim team. She’s determined to turn the fun, sometimes comical, rag-tag bunch into winners. Her handsome boss renews her belief in love, but learns of her mysterious affliction and abruptly cuts romantic ties. Later he has regrets, but can he overcome his fear of losing a loved one and regain Suzie’s trust?

Buy Barely Above Water on Amazon at Amazon.com/dp/B01DN2UTTS

About the Author:

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, Mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian Writers Association, she won Clash of the Titles in 2010. A 2013 Grace Awards finalist, she’s been a best-selling author on All Romance eBooks. She’s published four books, poems, short stories, and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums.

Web site: http://www.gailpallotta.com

Blog: http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorsandMore

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hopefulwords?lang=en